Loyola offers H1N1 vaccine to all employees

Loyola University New Orleans will begin vaccinations for employees who choose to be inoculated for the H1N1 virus. Loyola’s H1N1 task force was notified by the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals Office of Public Health Friday that faculty and staff of colleges and universities have been added to the list of populations who receive priority in vaccinations.

Key Loyola faculty and staff members have been meeting regularly to review DHH and Centers for Disease Control recommendations and guidelines on preventing, identifying and containing the spread of the virus. Loyola received an initial shipment of 2,500 doses of the H1N1 vaccine in late October and since then has been vaccinating students under age 24 and employees in other priority populations.

Student Health Services will administer the free vaccine to employees Monday-Friday, 3-4 p.m., starting Monday, Dec. 7, on a first come, first serve basis. Students under age 24 will continue to be eligible to receive the vaccine. All Loyola community members must show a valid university identification card in order to receive the vaccine.

Flu-like symptoms can include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, chills or fatigue. Students and employees who become symptomatic and/or test positive for H1N1 will be asked to leave campus and return home until they are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications. If returning home is not an option, sick students will be asked to isolate themselves in their residence hall rooms until they are fever-free for 24 hours, as recommended by the CDC. Residence hall staff will coordinate with Loyola Dining Services to have meals delivered to sick students, and a nurse practitioner will be in daily contact with them to advise on self-care and self-isolation procedures.

For more information on the vaccinations, contact Student Health Services at 504-865-3326. For more information on H1N1, visit the CDC Web site at http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/.